NATCHEZ — The Simmons family literally fought their way to the top of their class at the Moo Sul Kwan martial arts studio, located on the Corner of Jeff Davis Boulevard and Seargent Prentiss Drive.

Gregg Simmons, 38, and his two children, 10-year-old Kadi and soon to be 13-year-old Joseph, all earned their brown belts last September, a feat that is far from easy according to the grand master instructor of the martial arts school, Kenneth Rodgers.

“It takes a long time to make a brown belt, and having a whole family do it is rare,” he said. “Some of the things they can do are really impressive. … These kids can break boards.”

Rodgers said the studio teaches children techniques in taekwondo and judo, which are often used in competitive sports, while special classes in hapkido are reserved for advanced learners and should only be used in self-defense.

Some techniques can cause injury and even broken bones when not used carefully, and — like Spiderman — Rodgers said that kind of power comes with great responsibility.

“I have to make sure students develop the right character with these superior skills,” he said. “You have to be careful when practicing with a friend because it is dangerous.”

Gregg said he and his children started taking lessons at the studio in the summer of 2016.

“My kids started a couple of months before me and then I joined in,” he said. “(Martial arts) is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I never had the guts.”

It didn’t take long for Gregg to catch up with his kids, he said, and it has taken the family just over two years to come as far as they have — only two belts away from black.

“When you begin, you think it’s just impossible,” Gregg said. “You see a flying side kick, an ax kick or a wheel kick … you think there is no way I can do that. … Those are all advanced kicks that are learned at purple or blue belt, which is two belts below us.”

The progression in rank starts with a white belt, then yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown, red and black respectively, Gregg said.

“Trying to get the first good kick or first punch, throwing 100 punches in one class would seem pointless,” Gregg said, “but once you got to a yellow belt, the white belt didn’t seem so hard anymore.”

The lessons are split into classes for children and adults, and Gregg said he holds the highest rank among the adults.

Meanwhile, Joseph and Kadi hold two of three brown belts out of an average of 25 to 30 students in the children’s class.

“(Getting my brown belt) made me feel successful at something, for once,” Joseph said. “In school, there are things that I’m not so good at … but this makes me feel like I can do something.”